Fire & Ice
by cordeliawhat
Summary: Shelby and Audrey never thought they'd cross paths again, but life has a way of throwing you into funny situations
1. Chapter 1

Title: Fire & Ice

Summary: Shelby and Audrey never thought they'd cross paths again, but life has a funny way of sending you where you need to be, with the person you never knew you needed the most.

A/N: This is my first fanfic ever and I am in no way a professional, or decent writer. This fic honestly stemmed from boredom…but if you for some reason like this and want me to add more I gladly will. Hope you like it sorry it's so long I never shut up.

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It had been almost a year since _My Roanoke Nightmare_ aired on television, but the hype and excitement the show brought to the public had yet to die down. Particularly for Audrey Tindall, who unlike much of the cast, continued releasing interviews/press events for fans of the show. From watching her on television, it was no secret that Audrey loved living a life of fame and notoriety. She went from performing small stage plays in England to being a well known and admired actress over night. So, it's only slightly normal that the attention she was getting as a new celebrity fed her ego. However, what wasn't so perfect was Audrey's own personal life. During the filming of _My Roanoke Nightmare,_ Audrey sparked a relationship with fellow actor, Rory Monahan. To say the pairing shocked the public would be an understatement. Audrey was a woman of wit, intellect, and class. Whereas Rory was a man of frivolousness, immaturity, and…fart jokes. Not to mention their 15 year age difference, which made Audrey often question if Rory was even a man at all. He made her feel…God, dare she say it? Old. Between his childish ways and flirtatious nature, Audrey knew she was a fool to think the relationship could actually work, and since their recent split, she had all together given up on love. Of course, she convinced herself life was better this way, canceling love made more room for her to focus on her work. Acting was her new distraction, her happy place, if you will.

Having her entire life in the public eye was an annoyance that Shelby wasn't prepared for. Of course she knew that telling her story for the world to see would delete some of the seclusion in her life, but between her crumbled marriage to Matt and her now publicized affair with the man who portrayed him on the show, Dominic, Shelby was near her breaking point. The only thing that could keep her sane in the midst of the turbulence was her yoga. She opened a yoga studio in the suburbs of Los Angeles and to her surprise people took to it rather quickly. She wasn't sure if the tv show had anything to do with it, but at this point she couldn't have cared less. She was just happy to be doing what she loved most. Ever since leaving North Carolina, Shelby suffered from extreme nightmares. She visited countless therapists and doctors, all to no avail. Matt and his comforting words couldn't even calm her spirit, which wasn't all too shocking. They both knew that when they moved into that house something between them changed, the tone of their marriage shifted in the weirdest and worst way possible. However, when Shelby was in the studio nothing mattered. Her fears , the scrutiny she received in the media for her affair, her impending divorce; it was all just a blur. Yoga was a distraction, her happy place, if you will.

With her constantly hectic schedule, Audrey rarely ever experienced off days, especially on the weekends. So to say she was upset about being awakened by a phone call from her publicist was an understatement. "Oh for Jesus sake, Daniel! It's 7 in the morning, don't you rest?" Audrey asked angrily, eyes still closed.

"Honey, working for a woman like you, rest ain't in my vocabulary."

Daniel had been working as Audrey's publicist for a little over a year, but the friendship they created felt like they'd known each other for a lifetime. For months, Audrey searched to find the perfect person to work by her side, so when she stumbled across Daniel at a dinner party it was like love at first sight, business version. Not to mention, Daniel was the male version of herself. Quick minded, facetious, and smart mouthed-they were great business partners and even greater friends.

"Now listen," Daniel continued, "I just got a call from Entertainment Weekly, they want to feature you on the September cover of their magazine with an exclusive interview. This is big, Tindall. This is very big." Audrey's eyes burst open and she immediately sat up. She was well aware that Entertainment Weekly was a big deal in The U.S. and she was even more aware that this could be a greater opportunity to open doors for her career.

"Oh, God. Oh God, oh God, oh _God,"_ Audrey rambled, "this is fantastic, tell them absolutely! Of course, without a question, I would be completely honored-"

"You didn't exactly let me finish, Audrey." Daniel's tone went from excitement to cautious, a sign Audrey was all too familiar with whenever he gave news he knew she wouldn't be too fond of. "It's not just _you_ that they want to cover." Audrey's smile turned to a slight grimace. "Well, who could they possibly have in mind? Dominic, surely?" Silence.

"..Monet?"

Silence.

"Lee?"

More silence.

"Oh God, _please_ don't tell me they want Rory."

Daniel sighed into the phone, "No, no, no, and _hell_ no." Audrey was getting frustrated. "Well damnit Daniel I've damn near named off the entire cast who is this…person," the moment Audrey finished her sentence realization hit, "Oh…oh _no_ … _NO._ "

"Oh yes, honey. _OH_ yes." Daniel answered smugly. "They want you and Shelby, side by side. The fake Shelby alongside the real."

"Actually, I think I'll fucking be more content with Rory." After the filming of _My Roanoke,_ the cast had a chance to meet the people they had been portraying for the past several months and Shelby rubbed Audrey in the worst way possible. With her snarky comments about age and her, at the time, relationship with Rory, Audrey formed a fond disliking for the woman. Not only did Audrey dislike her, she was sure to make it obvious every time she was in her presence. "Fiery and pathetic, just how I played you" she said once; an insult she took pride in.

"I've already had my people contact her people, you better hope she says yes, Audrey. Or you can kiss that cover goodbye."

"Oh bloody hell. This is absolute rubbish. You're off your trolley, you've gone _completely_ barmy!" Whenever Audrey was upset her British lingo intensified drastically, so much so that she was actually the one sounding "mad" in the conversation.

Daniel rolled his eyes and waited for her to finish her daily tantrum. "Wake up Dorothy, you aren't in England anymore, honey," Daniel chastised, " Shelby's been pretty low key since her life fell apart for the whole world to see, but we're gonna get that girl on this cover, and you're gonna help me."

"And how exactly will I do that?"

"In the voicemail I mentioned that you would love to meet with her and clear the air between you two. I suggested dinner, but please feel free to alter those plans at your own leisure. The shoot isn't until August. That gives you two months to make friendly, Tindall. _Don't_ fuck it up." Daniel warned before hanging up the phone, not giving her time to argue.

He sighed before setting down the phone, "She's gonna fuck it up."

Audrey stared at her phone before falling back into her bed, drowning herself in the sheets.

"I'm going to fuck this up." She thought, no longer able to drift back asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Shelby didn't have many friends, in fact, the few friends that she _did_ have she met through Matt. And since the affair, it was safe to say that they were no longer on the list of people she could call for casual conversation. Fortunately, throughout her entire life there was one certain person she was able to depend on through any and every situation: Elizabeth. Shelby had known Elizabeth since before she could even remember. Their friendship traced as far back to diaper days, taking baths together as toddlers, and being each other's date to every school dance up until college. They might as well had been born sisters, to say the least. So when Shelby received voicemails about a photo shoot from a man claiming to be Audrey Tindall's publicist, she knew exactly who she had to call.

"He called me 'honey' twelve times in a span of 60 seconds," Shelby laughed into the phone, "He's such a character, Liz, just like the woman he works for." She rolled her eyes at the thought of Audrey as she flipped through channels on a muted television, a bag of caramel popcorn by her side; her favorite snack. "I mean, can you believe that they casted someone so…so _arrogant_ to portray me? And people actually _like_ her."

"Well, I don't know…" Elizabeth began, "Audrey seems like a pain in the ass, but I think this could finally be a shot to clear your name, show the world that you're not the villain the media portrayed you to be. Hell, I'd take it."

"I cheated on my husband, Elizabeth. If that's not a villainous act then I don't know what is."

"We both know your situation with Matt wasn't as black and white as you're trying to make it seem." Elizabeth hated when Shelby took all of the blame for her destroyed marriage, and she hated Matt even more for letting her. "You made a mistake, but Matt isn't an innocent man either. If the public only knew half of what he was doing inside of that marriage-"

"Liz, don't." Shelby interrupted. Elizabeth had recently gotten engaged to her boyfriend, Carlos, so she suddenly crowned herself able to give unsolicited marital advice. And as much as she appreciated Elizabeth wanting to defend her from public scrutiny, the topic of Matt and their marriage was something she wasn't ready to come to terms with; and she wasn't sure if she ever would be. Elizabeth's tone softened, "I'm sorry, Shelbs. I know you don't like thinking about that. I just want to protect you. You know you're like a little sister to me, even if I am only older by a few months." Those words were very true. For most of their lives Elizabeth served as a protector for Shelby. Shelby was quiet and reserved, Elizabeth was bold and ballsy. Ever since they were kids, if someone was messing with Shelby they had to go through Elizabeth first. She was lucky to have that type of person in her life, but sometimes it got annoying; especially in situations like this. An incoming call interrupted Shelby from her thoughts. She looked at her phone to see an unfamiliar number, it was late and the likeliness of anyone calling at that hour was significantly low. "Hold on, Liz, someone's calling. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay, but at least think about what I said? You better."

"I will, mom." Shelby chuckled before switching over the line. She threw a handful of popcorn in her mouth. "Hello?"

"Hello…Shelby?"

"This is she…may I ask who's calling?"

"This is Audrey…Audrey Tindall, my apologies, I always assume that my accent introduces myself before I do. How are you doing?"

Shelby nearly spat out her popcorn. Instantly she knew that someone had put her up to this, even the way Audrey spoke on the phone sounded insincere. She could practically envision her rolling her eyes as she asked about her well being; leaving Audrey's question with nothing but silence.

"Well…anyways, you're probably wondering how I came across your number," Audrey continued, "my publicist Daniel gave it to me…I'm sure you've already listened to his voicemail." This was awkward. Shelby could feel the awkwardness seeping through the phone. To call this conversation awkward would actually be an understatement.

"Shelby…? Are you still there?"

"Uh, yes. Yes I am. Sorry, I just…why are you…why are you calling? I mean, clearly you're calling about the photo shoot…but…okay. You asked me how I'm doing…I am fine." She was rambling, something Shelby tended to do when she was pushed into uncomfortable situations. Luckily enough for her, Audrey was charismatic enough for the both of them.

"Yes, that's nice, Shelby. Listen, let's just get to the point, in concerns of the photo shoot-"

"I don't think that's for me, Audrey. You don't need me for that…really. I'm not," Shelby tried to choose her words carefully without revealing too much about herself, but Audrey beat her to an explanation. "You're not ready to reveal to the entire world why you had an affair behind your husband's back." Audrey kicked herself in the ass as soon as the harsh remark left her mouth.

"Wow, ya know you really kill the stereotype of all English people being polite."

"I'm sorry, Shelby. That was completely unnecessary. I should not have said that, I realize that, truly."

"Your apology is barely accepted, goodbye Audrey."

"WAIT. At least have dinner with me, just once. I swear to you that this shoot can be good for the _both_ of us. If only you'd let me explain more clearly…"

Why did everyone think they knew what was best for Shelby and her life? She was damn near 30 and being treated like she wasn't capable of being sure of her own decisions.

"Shelby, I am… _begging_ you," Audrey nearly gagged at her own desperation, "Please, at least consider speaking with me over a nice meal. And a drink or two." _Or twelve_. With Audrey's temper, it'd take much more than a few glasses to get her through the night.

Shelby rubbed her temples as she weighed out her options. _It's just dinner,_ she thought. _I just have to show up, listen to her talk, tell her no, and leave. Simple._

Shelby sighed into the phone, "Is Thursday night good for you? I know this pretty decent Italian restaurant, Bestia-"

"Oh, I've heard great things about Bestia! Thursday night is perfect. Is 9 okay?"

"Sure... that's fine. I guess I'll see you then."

"Until then."

Shelby hung up the phone, sunk deeper into her couch, and internally screamed. One bad thing about living in an apartment is that she couldn't release her annoyance as loudly as she pleased. Once her silent meltdown was over, she contemplated texting Elizabeth to tell her about her newly made dinner plans, but she decided not to; not wanting to give her the satisfaction of thinking she was right. So instead she un-muted her television and ironically settled on watching _How to Get Away with Murder_ , "I may be needing some of these tips after Thursday's dinner." Shelby mumbled, grabbing a handful of popcorn.

Thursday came quicker than Shelby would have liked; not even a day of yoga could cure her growing nerves. She ended up telling Elizabeth about her planned dinner, pleasing her all too much. "This'll be good for you, I'm proud you finally listened to something I said, but I swear to everything Holy if that woman disrespects you in any way it'll be her last day standing." Elizabeth warned. Sometimes Shelby was convinced that Elizabeth hated Audrey almost more than she did, and she'd never even met her. Not to mention, Audrey had texted her at least 30 times that day to make sure they were still on for their plans. In fact, Audrey texted so much that Shelby had started to memorize her number; she refused to add it to her contacts considering she wasn't planning on speaking to her ever again after their dinner, anyway.

She had finished her last yoga class for the day, leaving her only a few hours to prepare for the night. Luckily, she decided to skip lunch, so she was starving for something to eat. Another text message interrupted her thoughts; a text message from Audrey, of course.

 _Don't forget, tonight 9pm! I'll be dressed in black, I reserved a table for us under the name Tindall._ _Until then_. – _Audrey_

Audrey had a tendency to sign her name at the end of each text as though Shelby wasn't aware of who she was speaking to after the first message, or second, or 12th. It was kind of funny…granted, Shelby still thought of her as annoying; but it was funny, to say the least.

She finished packing up the last of her yoga mats and headed home to prepare herself for what would be a long night.

Audrey took one last glance in the mirror before looking at the clock. She was late, which was usual for someone like her. Between the time she spent on her makeup, hair, and wardrobe, one would think that she would have conquered the habit of getting ready early. Yet, there she was rushing around her bedroom, ten minutes away from being 9:00. While she was getting ready, Daniel called to give her a pep talk, but it came off as more of a shaded lecture. "Now listen, fake it 'till you make it is the motto. And by the looks of your personality, you should be fine because you're the fakest broad I know." Audrey laughed loudly, "One day you're going to give me a compliment that's not backhanded. One day, Daniel." "You'll be waiting a lot of days, sweetheart." That's one thing Audrey loved about him, he was quick, just as she was.

After touching up her face one last time, she finally ran out of the front door of her condo before storming back in. "Oh, bloody hell, where are my keys?" Audrey mumbled as she sped back down her hallway to her room to find them.

When Audrey finally arrived to the restaurant, she jumped out of the car and practically sprinted to the entrance, leaving valet to handle the rest. She usually wasn't a huge stickler for time, especially for people she wasn't fond of, but the fate of her shoot lay in Shelby's hands and she wanted every moment to be perfect. She approached the hostess of the restaurant nearly panting, "Hello, I have a reservation for Tindall. I'm a bit late." The hostess's eyes lightened, "Oh yes, Ms. Tindall, Shelby is already here. I'll take you to your table." She said almost eagerly. "I'm such a huge fan of the show," she continued, "And you and Rory were totally relationship goals." Audrey followed behind the younger girl tensely. It amazed her how people didn't find it uncomfortable to bring up Rory, knowing they had split. Either that, or they simply just didn't care. "Thank you very much, that's so kind." Audrey replied with a fake smile. From a distance, she noticed a familiar blonde with an irritable look on her face: Shelby. _Oh God, she's one of those punctuality freaks,_ Audrey thought to herself. The hostess directed her to the table with a bright smile. "Here you are, Tindall, party of two."

Barely making eye contact with Shelby, she sat down giving an appreciative smile to the hostess. "Thanks, Lindsey." Shelby smiled as she played with the straw in her drink. "No, problem." The hostess replied before walking back up to the restaurant entrance.

Audrey and Shelby sat in silence for a few moments. Shelby still playing with her straw, Audrey fiddling with her phone…the awkward tension was back and they hadn't even been in the same room for ten minutes. It wasn't long until Audrey decided to break the silence. "So….you know the hostess?" She asked, putting her phone down. It was a pathetic attempt at small talk, but it was something. "Yeah. I used to come here quite often…so…" Shelby's voice trailed off as she thought of more to say. "I tried to wait on you before I ordered anything, but…" _You decided to not be considerate of other people's time_. "I saw you were running a little late, so I went on and ordered." Shelby looked back down, her lemonade suddenly becoming extremely interesting as she tried to avoid eye contact. Audrey took that opportunity to examine the woman in front of her. Shelby had on a white loose tank top tucked beneath high waisted denim shorts, brown sandals, and a stylish sun hat to match. Her hair fell in loose messy waves, with what seemed to be a makeup free face. Her appearance was a huge contrast to Audrey, who had on a black semi-sheer button down that was paired with a knee length black leather skirt, with black ankle boots. Her makeup was fully done, plus red lipstick; and if one looked hard enough, they'd notice her black bralette under her sheer blouse. "Keep it classy, with just a hint of trashy", Daniel would say. Audrey watched Shelby intently, glancing away ever so often so that Shelby wouldn't notice her examining. She was so delicate and timid, everything she did was with a purpose. If she picked up her napkin she refolded it before setting it on the table, when she took a sip of her drink she carefully placed it back down making sure to angle it exactly how she wanted. Shelby was a woman who admired little things, Audrey could tell. It wasn't until tonight that Audrey realized she never really _looked_ at Shelby. I mean, she had seen her, of course…but she never noticed her eyes were a bright blue. _Wow, she's fairly attractive,_ Audrey thought before the waitress returned to the table to take her order.

"Can I get you started off with something to drink?"

"Tequila, please." Audrey said almost immediately. It was one of her favorite alcoholic beverages and she ordered it almost every time she went out. Shelby, on the other hand, wasn't a huge fan of alcohol. Granted, she did enjoy red wine from time to time.

"Alrighty, are you ready to order or would you like a few minutes?"

Audrey glanced over at Shelby, "I'll have whatever she's having. I think I trust her judgement." Shelby laughed slightly before looking at the waitress slyly, who also had a funny look on her face. "What is it?" Audrey asked. Before the waitress could answer Shelby stopped her, "No. Let her order it. It'll be interesting." She shot a daring look at Audrey. The waitress shook her head and headed back to the kitchen.

"What have you just done?" Audrey asked cautiously. She wouldn't be shocked if Shelby's reaction was some form of code to the waitress to poison her meal.

"Nothing, relax. It's just a joke. We always do that whenever someone uses the typical _I'll have what she's having_ line." Shelby chuckled. _Wow, she really does come here often,_ Audrey thought to herself. That was the most emotion she'd seen her have since she had seated at the table. "Well, I see you must bring all of your dinner dates here." Audrey responded, eyes wandering the restaurant. "Something like that." Shelby replied nonchalantly.

Once the waitress came back with Audrey's drink, she realized she was the only one with a taste for alcohol that night, noticing Shelby's lemonade. "We're holding onto our sobriety tonight, I must've missed the memo." She half joked, taking a sip of her tequila. "You didn't even order red wine." Shelby looked at her confusingly, not catching the reference. Audrey noticed this and continued, "That's all that they had me drink while portraying you in the show, so I could only assume." Shelby rolled her eyes playfully, "Ha, I mentioned I liked red wine once to Sidney and he makes it seem like I have some form of addiction." Shelby stirred her lemonade with her straw, trying to think of more to say. "He's such a character."

Audrey smirked, "Truly."

More silence ensued, along with awkward small talk for several minutes until Shelby took a deep breath and dove straight into the subject. No more beating around the bush and fake conversation, it was time to address the elephant in the room. "So, about this photo shoot, whatever you have to say I will listen, but I can almost assure you that I won't-"

"What if I can guarantee that your personal life won't be discussed at all in the magazine?" Audrey interrupted. That was a bad (and annoying) habit of hers. Whenever she had a thought she projected it immediately, not caring to hear what others had to say. Shelby eyed her, "I would say that that's a near impossible promise to keep." In a sense, she was right. Shelby had done her fair share of interviews the first few months after _My Roanoke Nightmare_ premiered and one thing she learned was that interviewers wanted nothing more than an interesting story to print. The questions they asked were hard hitting before her affair, she could only imagine what they would be like now. Not to mention, if she were to do something along those lines ever again, she'd prefer the support of Matt beside her. Not _Audrey._ She wouldn't even call that support, more like a mockery.

"For God's sake, what are you so afraid of? A few measly questions?" Audrey scoffed, looking in her handheld mirror as she played with her hair. "You're not the only one with secrets to hide, Shelby. If I cowered into the darkness every time I was at risk of revealing my hidden skeletons, I'd never see the light of day again." That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Shelby hated when other people tried to downplay her problems and she definitely hated when they tried to compare them to their own. Audrey tried to act as though she was almost above Shelby, little did she know, Shelby knew more than she thought. "Oh, I'm sorry I can't be as courageous as you, Audrey. But please, since you're so in touch with _your_ secrets _,_ what are _you_ gonna say when the interviewer asks you why Rory was seen leaving numerous women's houses late in the night the past few months." Audrey glared at Shelby. _Too far, oh God too far. I'm going to throw up,_ Shelby thought. She was completely humiliated with her behavior, she wasn't the type to allow herself to say such hurtful things, especially on purpose. "Audrey, I apologize-" before she could finish her sentence Audrey was already halfway out of the restaurant, trying her best to hold back her tears until she could get to the comfort of her own home, or at least car.

Shelby's hand smacked her forehead as she tried to process what just happened, she felt like an asshole. How did it go from small talk to this? Shelby wasn't sure, but she did know that small talk sounded much more appealing at the moment. Despite all of the snarky remarks Audrey had made at her in the past, she couldn't help but feel guilty for firing back the way she did. And from the look on the older woman's face, her words cut deep.

"Okay, here we are, two servings of _Grilled Branzino."_ The waitress announced with a smile.

Shelby didn't bother picking her head up, "Actually, just make it one."

 **A/N: If it isn't obvious yet, I love angst and I love build. I also love new ideas, so prompts are welcomed (I'll add them to the story where I see fit). I hope you guys like it!**


	3. Chapter 3

Audrey was over Rory. She was over his infidelity, his lies, and his multiple side women. She was over thinking that they could work things out and she was over waiting by the phone hoping he'd call. Yet, there she was, sunken in her bed with tear stained makeup and boxes of tissues surrounding her. Except, it wasn't Rory that Audrey was crying for, it was herself. She had been fine the past few weeks, she convinced herself that she was officially healing; so, if there was _anyone_ to blame for her current state of emotions, it would be Shelby. In all fairness, Audrey had no logical reason to be upset with her. She had thrown shots of her own and knew she had no right to play victim, she was tasting her own medicine and it was foul. To be quite honest, for the longest time Audrey had been rather jealous of her. She envied her perfect marriage and white picket fence lifestyle. So, when it had been revealed that she was having an affair behind her husband's back, she felt an odd sense of…relief. She knew it was selfish of her to feel such a way. To have other people's inconveniences make her feel better about herself. But for a moment it felt good to know that someone else's life was shitty, not just hers. However, despite everything that Shelby did go through-at least Dominic _wanted_ her, at least Matt _loved_ her. Hell, Audrey could barely get an apology out of Rory for his affairs and then there was Shelby, still being desired by the men she hurt. He could deny it, but a blind man could see that Matt still loved Shelby. Only a heartless fool could get over that type of love and betrayal overnight. That's exactly what Audrey desired: love, a bond that wasn't easily forgettable. She knew Rory didn't love her. Instead, he fetishized the idea of being with an older woman. In the beginning that was enough to boost her ego, but as time went on and as younger girls passed by to catch his attention, she began to question her own worth and beauty. And despite the façade she held in public, Audrey was insecure. She hated her age, she hated her lisp, she hated how she only felt beautiful behind a face full of makeup; and sitting in front of Shelby at dinner only made her feel her insecurities even more. She never brought attention to it, but there were times Rory looked at Shelby with lust in his eyes. And after seeing her again face to face, paying mind to her features, she saw how beautiful she really was. So, there she lay, replaying Shelby's words in her head over and over. To be fair, Shelby had a point. This would be Audrey's first interview since the footage of Rory creeping with other women released and she didn't know if she could handle or dodge any invasive questions properly. She did know, however, that she didn't want to relive that day ever again.

She found out about Rory's affairs through social media early one morning. He hadn't come home that night and wasn't answering her calls, something that was all too familiar. Except this time she woke up to videos and pictures of Rory kissing other women, holding their hand, and flirting with them shamelessly. In the back of her mind, she knew that this day would come, but she didn't know what hurt worse: the idea of him cheating, or the fact that the affection he showed those girls, he rarely gave to her. Making the mistake of checking her phone, Instagram comments and tweets came rushing in almost instantly:

 _Isn't this your fiancé?_

 _Looks like you couldn't keep him interested._

 _So does this mean the weddings off?_

TMZ had collected footage of Rory screwing around and decided to release it late in the night. Daniel had advised her to stay away from the internet for a while, but social media trolls were like drugs, you know they're bad for your mental state-but you can't stay away, you can't stop scrolling from one hateful comment to the next. Audrey hated TMZ ever since.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of tears and painful reminiscing, she rolled over slightly to check the time on her night stand: 2:00a.m. She was too tired to even attempt removing her makeup or changing into pajamas, so she laid still in her bed, letting her mind wander until she finally drifted asleep.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Damn, girl. You really are mean. I'd leave crying to." Elizabeth gasped, taking a bite of her pizza. It was Sunday night and Carlos would be working late, so Elizabeth invited Shelby over for a mini girls' night in; Shelby decided to catch her up on her life the past few days, being sure to save the best gossip for last: Audrey. Shelby positioned herself on the couch to face Elizabeth, careful not to knock over the box of pizza placed between them.

"Are you serious right now? _You're_ the one who always says I need to stand my ground more." She said with disbelief, "Don't make me feel worse than I already do."

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I'm just shocked you had it in you. Finally, the many years of hanging out with me are paying off." Shelby and Elizabeth pondered on the subject a little more before steering the conversation to discuss Elizabeth's wedding plans. Recently, Elizabeth had been obsessed with finding Shelby a date to accompany her at the wedding. An obsession Shelby wished she'd get over. And since the wedding wasn't until next January, that gave Elizabeth seven months to nag her about it. "I don't need a date, Maid of Honors don't have to have a date." "But, who will you walk down the aisle with? Carlos's best man is already taken since…" Elizabeth hesitated to finish her sentence. "Since Matt is no longer my date. I know." Shelby rolled her eyes, "But Maid of Honors don't _have_ to have someone to walk down the aisle with, either." Elizabeth picked at her pizza before looking up at Shelby, a strange smirk on her face.

"What?" Shelby asked. "Stop looking at me like that, it's weird."

"…what about Dominic…"

"Liz, no offense, but I'd walk down the aisle with your creepy uncle who wears dentures, before I walk down with Dominic." Shelby laughed, picking up a slice of pizza. Elizabeth threw one of her couch pillows at her, aiming at her face. "Hey, that's my favorite uncle, you bitch. Offense taken." She giggled. "I just think he's a good option, okay. He obviously likes you a lot."

"I have sex with him one time and he thinks we're going to get married. Jesus."

Dominic and Shelby were a one night stand as far as Shelby was concerned. They met up at a bar for, what was supposed to be, "friendly" conversation while Matt was away on a business trip. She wasn't even sober when she slept with him, so when she woke up the next morning to see him lying beside her, she felt nothing short of disgust and panic. And lucky for her, cameras caught a glimpse of them leaving the bar together late that night, and it was released to the public almost immediately. To make the situation even better, that's exactly how Matt found out about the affair. She still felt terrible, thinking about how he must have felt seeing his wife lurking around with the cheap man who portrayed him. But it was all in the past, her apologies went unnoticed and she decided to agree to a divorce after months of pleading otherwise. In her head, she was over Matt, towards the end of their marriage he wasn't the same Matt she had fallen in love with, anyway. He was cold, drank excessively, and whenever he let the alcohol take too much of a toll, he often got violent. Although she knew that deep down he was a good person, she tried to focus on those bad times rather than the good, it helped her move on.

Elizabeth was still out of her mind for suggesting Dominic, though. Shelby wasn't attracted to him, at least not in _that_ way. He may be handsome, but his cocky attitude and boastful nature was too much for her to handle. He was like a male version of Audrey, except times ten. Even if she was interested, she didn't need a relationship right now. She was wrapping up a divorce and in the middle of turning her life around. Her own company was all she needed.

Elizabeth sighed, ready to let the conversation go, "I just don't want you to be alone the whole night. Everyone's gonna have a date, ya' know."

"I'll sit with your toothless uncle." Shelby smirked.

"You have one more comment to make about my Uncle Larry before I shove this pizza in your face." Elizabeth warned.

They sat in silence for a few moments, each woman taking a new slice of pizza ever so often. As much as Shelby tried to push the subject to the back of her mind, it was eating her alive and she needed to discuss it again. "I know this is probably random, but I really do feel bad about Audrey, Liz." She blurted out.

"So, fix it?" Elizabeth stuffed a large chunk of pizza in her mouth, struggling to speak clearly, "…I mean…ask her out to dinner again…or something…but this time…like…don't make her cry..." Shelby stared at her phone before making her final decision, she wasn't too crazy about spending another awkward session with Audrey again, but she did feel like she owed her a sincere apology. She texted her on impulse, if she continued to think about it she would change her mind.

 _I may be the last person you'd like to hear from, but I can't help but feel terrible about our encounter Thursday. We don't have to be friends, but at least give me a chance to show you that I'm actually a decent person. Are you up for dinner?_

Shelby didn't sign her name, assuming Audrey would have her number. Even if she didn't, she could put two and two together and realize who was texting her. She looked at the time and realized it was getting late. "I just texted her, but it's almost midnight...I doubt she'll even reply." Shelby sighed.

"She'll reply, she's British."

"What does that even mean?"

"British people don't sleep, it's like a thing. The tea keeps them up." Shelby stared at her for several seconds before responding. "Elizabeth…don't...say that to anyone other than me, okay?"

Elizabeth shrugged and took another bite of pizza, her fourth slice. Shelby's phone lit up with a text message from Audrey, a quick reply to say the least.

 _It is very kind of you to contact me, but please don't feel obligated to apologize-really. –Audrey_

Shelby replied instantly, almost eagerly.

 _I insist, my treat. This time let's try a more comfortable setting. I know this amazing pizza place in downtown LA. Friday night?_

"Well, you're right. She was up." Shelby said, resting her head on the couch.

"I'm telling you, it's the tea."

"Shut up, Liz. That's such a stereotype." Shelby chuckled.

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Audrey was making a cup of hot tea when she had received the text from Shelby. She stared at her phone intently. Why was Shelby so hell bent on seeing her again? Did she think she needed her pity? Moments like these were reasons why Audrey never showed her emotions to others. She felt vulnerable and vile, to think that Shelby was under the impression that she had hurt her feelings. Well, technically she did, but she didn't need to _know_ that. Audrey was the type to underplay her emotions, one thing she noticed about Americans when she moved to The U.S. was their love for dramatics. She looked at them as the true definition of "crying over spilled milk". Their annoying behavior was beginning to rub off on her, she convinced herself.

Shockingly enough, Audrey wasn't expecting to hear from Shelby again, considering their blow out was nearly four days ago. In all honesty, she didn't need an apology from her. She wasn't upset with her, at least not anymore. She looked at Shelby's words as her getting fair for all of the terrible things Audrey had said in the past. They were both even and it was done. But no, Shelby being the good, conscience person that she was, felt the need to end it properly.

 _Ugh, yet Americans say the British are overly courteous,_ Audrey thought before pouring her tea and heading to bed, this time taking a while to reply to Shelby. She was going to be up all night anyway, no need to rush. Tea and coffee went hand and hand in England, they both kept you up fairly late.

When Audrey finally did respond, she prayed she wouldn't regret her decision as she took another sip of her drink. To distract her mind from the situation at hand, she turned on the television to finish all of the movies she had begun watching. Now that her schedule had calmed down a bit, she had time to do the things she liked to do when she wasn't acting. In example, nothing. When Audrey wasn't working, she enjoyed staying in. Some called it lazy, she called it smart. "I spend my whole life working, why would I want to spend my occasional off days being… _active._ " She argued once.

Audrey looked at her phone one last time before focusing her attention on the television, prepared for a relaxed night.

 _You can ruin my life but you can't ruin my Netflix queue, Shelby Miller, s_ he thought to herself, _The Sound of Music_ blaring throughout her bedroom.

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By the time Audrey replied, Shelby was already at her own home preparing for bed. She looked at her cell and was relieved to see that Audrey agreed to meet with her once more. If she hadn't, she'd be forced to live with the guilt of being a terrible person, and she couldn't have that weighing on her shoulders for the rest of her life. She texted back the address of the restaurant and what time would be best for her to meet. Assuming she'd be asleep by that point, she apologized for texting so late; in case she had woken her up. Shelby set her phone down on the night stand and buried herself in her comforter when a few moments later she heard her phone buzz. She was nearly halfway asleep, the light coming from her phone screen straining her eyes. But she sat up slightly to read the message sent to her, it was from Audrey, of course:

 _8pm won't be a problem, I've been rather free lately. Also, don't worry about contacting me so late-I drink a lot of tea. –Audrey_

Shelby stared at her phone for several seconds before tossing it on the other side of the bed. "You've got to be kidding me." She mumbled, getting comfortable under her sheets again. _That_ was something she definitely wasn't going to tell Liz about.

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 **A/N: This chapter is kind of slow, but finals week is kicking my ass okay. Also, I accept prompts, help me write! Also also, I hope you guys liked my tea joke, if you're British…please don't hate me.**

 **Tumblr: Cordeliawhat**


	4. Chapter 4

"Well hell, I don't even see why you'd want to meet with the hussy again after she hurt your feelings." Daniel scolded, feeling through Audrey's hair. Luckily for her, Daniel was also an expert on hair styling, so when her original stylist was booked for her monthly dye job, he came running. "I also don't see how ya' hairstylist has a full schedule this month, like you don't always come in on the same damn day."

Audrey chuckled, Daniel never failed to tickle her. He was from the Deep South of Louisiana and his accent ran thick, on top of that, he spoke his words a mile a minute; defeating the stereotype of all southerners being slow speakers. Actually, one thing that amused Audrey the most since moving to The U.S. were the many versions of American accents, especially his, considering it came with a side of sass as well.

"Well Daniel, unlike you, I actually am a forgiving and decent person who sees the good in everyone." Audrey joked, a joke that earned her a smack to the base of her head with Daniel's comb.

"Girl hush, you just split hell wide open with that lie you told. Now tell me, why are you agreeing to meet with this woman again? Must be for that photo shoot…"

"It _was_ your suggestion that I play nice. If having dinner will get her where I need her, I'll happily eat a meal or two." Audrey lied. In reality, she didn't know why she agreed to meet with Shelby again. Of course, it would be nice to have her agree to the shoot, but that wasn't the basis of her decision. She guessed she was more interested in _why_ Shelby wanted to see _her_. The "apology" excuse was tired. If Shelby wanted to apologize she could've done so through text. The more Audrey thought about it, the more she desired answers. Answers to questions that probably didn't exist. Maybe Shelby really was just trying to be a genuinely kind person. No, that explanation was far too simple.

"Well this go around, if she makes anymore slick comments…jump across that table and put ya' foot up her ass." Daniel fired, making Audrey die with laughter.

"Violence is never the answer, Daniel!"

"Violence may not be the answer, but it sure gets your damn point across. Now, be still before I get this bleach in your eyes."

Daniel continued applying the dye to Audrey's hair while she fiddled with her phone, stopping ever so often to gossip, and have casual conversation. He was nearly ready to wash the remaining product out when Audrey got a text from Monet, announcing that she was on the way over to catch up. Working on the set of _My Roanoke_ resulted in Audrey creating friendships with the cast, but Monet, she was closest with the most. They were the true definition of gal pals and shared secrets, beauty tips, and even relationship advice. In fact, Monet was the one who came over with ice cream and junk food when Audrey had learned of Rory's affair. She also was her partner in crime when it came to throwing sly remarks at Shelby. They'd become one of Hollywood's favorite friendships and they certainly didn't mind it.

Audrey texted back letting her know that Daniel was there also, Monet adored Daniel and the feeling was reciprocated; whenever the two of them were together in Audrey's company it was nothing short of laughter and wild jokes.

It was only 6pm but Audrey knew that their hang out would last more than a little while, so she had mind to order pizza and any other form of takeout for them to enjoy. Back home, she would gladly brew tea for her company and serve it as meal, considering in England that was often the case. She didn't deem it to be strange until she offered Daniel a cup of tea as an afternoon snack:

"Girl, if I wanted to sip a drink I'd go to Starbucks. That's why you're skin and bones now, come on, I'm taking you to In-N-Out." He joked. Audrey never offered an American tea ever again.

"Monet's on her way over." Audrey stated, "when we finish with my hair I'll order us a meal."

"I want a cup of tea." Daniel joked with a terrible English accent. Audrey rolled her eyes, "Come along now, this bleach is beginning to burn."

xxxxxxxxxx

The three sat in Audrey's living room, resembling teenagers at a sleepover. Monet laid on the floor, pizza boxes and bags of snacks surrounding her. Luckily, Audrey sitting on the couch with a tea cup in one hand and a saucer in the other helped maintain a sense of class to the house.

They had chatted about everything under the sun until Monet brought up another topic to discuss.

"So, go on and tell me about this photo shoot you got going on with Girl Scout?"

Audrey laughed at the nickname that she and Monet gave Shelby behind her back. Shelby was preppy, suburban, and found cooking to be relaxing; truly Girl Scout behavior.

"How did you know about that?" Audrey asked, "I never got around to telling you."

"Your publicist here has a mouth bigger than his ass. He couldn't even hold the water about you two going out to dinner."

Daniel was sitting opposite of Audrey on the couch reading a magazine, he set it down long enough to shoot Monet a bird. Picking his magazine back up, he silently went back to reading.

The action elicited laughs from the two women, Daniel was always the unintentionally funny one out of the bunch.

Audrey sighed, "Oh, there's not much to tell, really. She's not phased. I myself have begun to lose the desire as well. And that's all the news there is to share." She paused for a moment, "However, she did show interest in meeting with me again. Tomorrow, actually. She wants to apologize, whatever that'll do." She rolled her eyes as she took a sip of her tea.

"Apologize for what?" Monet asked, picking up the bag of Doritos lying beside her.

Daniel took this as his opportunity to finally chime in, "For reading her to filth…" he said, not looking up from his magazine.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Monet asked, biting into a chip.

Audrey set her saucer down, along with her tea and sunk into the couch. Trying her best to ignore the conversation at hand. Daniel noticed this and decided to chime in once again, eyes still plastered on his magazine.

"Shelby turned what could've been a lovely dinner into a shooting match about Rory."

"Thanks, Daniel." Audrey said sarcastically.

"Anytime, darlin'."

"Oh, Audrey. How have you been holding up, lately? You know…with that situation…" Monet asked. Although Audrey acted unaffected by Rory in her recent days, Monet knew that she was still very sensitive on the subject. Even more so than Daniel, who viewed his own comments as harmless.

"Oh it's nothing to fuss over, really. We both have had our fair share of exchanges and she seems to be hell bent on settling it. It's rather polite, actually…you know…with her being an American and all." Audrey smirked. She wanted desperately to shift the conversation to a lighter subject and she knew that whenever she made jokes about Americans and their mannerisms it turned into a death match of who can defend their country the hardest.

Daniel tossed his magazine to the side, "We all know your tea cups and cookies can't compete with some true hospitality."

Audrey rolled her eyes, "Oh, please. You don't even offer me a glass of beverage whenever I enter your home."

"Girl, because who are you supposed to be?"

Monet laughed, "Now I have to agree with, Daniel. There ain't nothing like some good Southern hospitality."

Audrey sat up on her couch, "Oh my God, are you actually serious? You're not even American. You were born in Uganda."

Monet turned her head at Audrey's arguments, "For purposes of this conversation, I'm team USA."

The playful feud went on for several minutes until they noticed the time, it was almost 1am. Typically, Audrey would offer the couch/guest room to any late night visitors but Daniel had an early morning breakfast to attend, and Monet refused to stay the night without being fully prepared with extra clothes and a toothbrush-so they thought it best to head home.

After helping Audrey straighten up her living room, they said their final good nights, along with one last insult from Daniel, and Audrey headed to her bedroom. She contemplated watching a movie, but the longer she laid in bed, the drowsier she became. She doubted she'd have any time to nap before her dinner with Shelby, considering she had a few errands to run, so she decided to use the bit of hours she did have left to rest. She'd need it.

xxxxxxxxx

Shelby looked over at her clock, 1am. She then looked over at Dominic who seemed to be sound asleep. She felt her eyes get watery, along with a lump in her throat. She got up quietly, threw on an oversized t-shirt from her drawer, and walked to her bathroom; keeping the lights off so she wouldn't wake her current "guest". More so to ensure that he wouldn't get up and disturb her, rather than for his own comfort. Shelby leaned against her sink counter, arms folded, staring into darkness. She tried to focus hard enough to prevent any tears from falling, but all she could think about was the disappointment and disgust she felt within herself. Then it happened, a silent sob left her throat and she sunk down to the floor. She brought her knees to her chest and rested her head against them, tears falling ever so often. She wondered what had happened to the woman she once was and how she let herself fall so deep into her "situationship" with Dominic. She didn't love him, hell, she barely liked him. She wasn't even sure why she called him over tonight. Recently she hadn't been sleeping, the nightmares had gotten so severe that she avoided rest at all cost, unless it was a quick daytime nap. So for the most part, her nights were spent with her being a busy body. Browsing the television, looking through old photos, reading books, etc.

Anything to keep her mind occupied. This night, however, was different. There was nothing on T.V., the photos made her sad, and the books were a bore. When she was a happily married woman, she could've cuddled up at these hours and let that send her to sleep. Oh, how those were the good days. She missed it. She missed it so much, in fact, that she broke her vows once more and contacted Dominic again.

She stayed seated on the floor for what seemed like hours, and almost fell asleep before snapping herself awake. She couldn't let herself sleep, but she definitely didn't want to go back and lie beside… _him._ So, she wiped her face, gave herself cheap words of encouragement, and headed downstairs to put on a movie until the sun rose; the only time she felt somewhat comfortable resting.

Shelby let herself doze off around 8am, as soon as she saw some form of daylight. She forgot about Dominic being upstairs, she was so exhausted that the excitement of finally being able to close her eyes was more distracting.

When she finally woke, she was startled to find someone else in the room, staring at her.

"Don't worry, I haven't been down here long." Dominic joked, standing over her as she lay on the couch. He was in nothing but a towel, giving himself permission to use the shower.

Shelby jolted forward, "What time is it?" It seemed far later than usual, she wouldn't have minded if she slept most of her day away-but she _did_ mind that she might have held her home open to him for that long.

"It's one in the afternoon." He said, sitting down beside her on the couch. He attempted to pull her onto his lap, "You don't sleep at night."

Shelby ignored his efforts and stood up to look at him, "You should probably go…"

"Wait, really?"

"Really."

Dominic stood and pulled Shelby into a hug, kissing her forehead. "Why didn't you come back to bed?"

Shelby kept her arms to her side, ignoring his questions yet again. She hated when he asked questions. She'd never been apart of a booty call before meeting Dominic, but she was certain that they weren't intended to get this inquisitive and emotional.

She pulled away to face him completely, "Listen, Dominic. This…us…whatever _this_ is…I let it get too far. I shouldn't have called you over here last night, I was just-"

"You were just _what_?"

"I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression…"

Dominic scoffed, "Shelby, save your excuses. I'm not here solely by will. I'm here because you _asked_ me to be here. Whether it's just sex for you or not, I'm not gonna be some toy you play with when you want some attention." He walked past her and made his way back upstairs to get dressed. Shelby sat back down on the couch, then she realized it was Friday. She was supposed to meet with Audrey later that night. Luckily, she canceled her yoga classes for the day, she could use the alone time before she was set to meet for dinner. She had almost forgotten all about Audrey and at this point she didn't desire the company of anyone, but Shelby hated when people canceled plans on her-so she wasn't going to do the same.

Dominic made his way back downstairs, sunglasses on his face, to top it all off. "See you later, Shelby." He said dryly, opening her front door to leave.

Shelby shook her head absentmindedly, "This isn't happening again."

"Ha, yes it is." And then he was gone.

xxxxxxxxxx

Audrey hadn't been in the department store for a full ten minutes and she'd taken at least a dozen photos and signed endless amounts of autographs. She absolutely loved her job and she loved her fans even more, but the hassle that came along with doing such simple tasks often was unbearable. When she wasn't craving attention from the outside world, she enjoyed disguising herself and using her American accent when in the company of strangers. She glanced outside of the department store window and noticed a handful of paparazzi snapping photos, she flashed a smile before signing a few more items for fans and walking to find an employee.

She was there for a simple task, really. She needed to pick up her new vanity for her bathroom, for no reason bigger than the fact that she had grown tired of her old one. That's something else she enjoyed about being a celebrity, she would do things just because she could.

"Excuse me," she said calmly to an employee nearby, "Hello, I'm scheduled to pick up a vanity today for Tindall. Audrey Tindall." She extended her hand to the young boy in front of her, he couldn't have been any older than twenty and he was tall and lanky with long, thick brown hair. Awkward looking to say the least.

 _My God, he reminds me of myself when I was a teenager. Christ._ Audrey thought, looking the boy over unintentionally.

He shook her hand eagerly, "Oh, totally man. I was so obsessed with your TV show, it was lit. Hey, uh…wait right here while I go to the back to get your vanity."

Audrey chuckled slightly with a bit of confusion as she watched him jog to the back of the store.

 _Lit?_ She thought again. _Oh these young lads and their new found use of words._

A few minutes had passed, along with fans coming up to chat, before a few men were rolling her item to the front.

The awkward boy walked up, "I can check you out at register 2."

Audrey followed, retrieving her wallet to get her card.

"My name's Justin, by the way." Ah, so the awkward young man had a name.

"Pleased to meet you, Justin. You've been very kind."

Audrey could tell the young man wanted to ask for an autograph without seeming unprofessional. That was common whenever she communicated with employees. Ever so often he stumbled over his words, made cheesy jokes only to immediately regret them after, and dropped her credit card at least thrice before finally swiping it properly. In all honesty, Audrey loved having that affect on people. She found it amusing to watch, how the presence of another person could mean so much.

When the transaction was finally over, she pulled a store flyer from the counter and asked Justin if he had a pen.

"Uh, yes of course." He said, pulling a marker from his shirt pocket. Audrey spent a few seconds writing on the back of the ad before folding it and sliding it to him. Turning around to direct the other store workers to her car. She looked over her shoulder to face Justin, a dumb smile plastered on his face, "You're the best, Audrey!"

She served him a slight smirk and a wink before leading the work loaders outside to her car. Justin watched her leave before reading the note again, in shock.

 _Thanks for all of your help, Justin. You're a darling._

 _Also, don't doubt your jokes. They're hysterical. Until then._

 _Audrey Tindall aka the better Shelby Miller_

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The day had passed by quickly and Shelby was now in her car forcing herself to get pepped for her meeting with Audrey. She had spent most of her off day just enjoying being free. She washed her sheets, since they still smelled of Dominic, and slept most of the afternoon. Waking up ever so often to overlook everything, she didn't like to sleep for too long; she always wanted to feel in control of her nightmares. Because of that, her face looked heavier than usual and she was beginning to form faint dark circles around her eyes.

She hadn't spoken to Audrey since she had agreed to see her again, so she could only hope that she remembered their plans.

She pulled up to the restaurant, Desano, and walked inside to notice Audrey already seated. Her back was turned to the door, but she could tell by the woman's demeanor that it was indeed her.

The restaurant was small and cozy, with bright lighting. A major contrast to the five-star restaurant they visited before. Rather than chairs they had benches and a hostess wasn't needed considering you sat yourself. It was amusing, seeing someone so unordinary in such an… _ordinary_ place.

Audrey was at least 30 minutes early, shocking to say the least, but certainly nothing worth complaining about.

Shelby made her way around the table and sat in front of her. She noticed Audrey's hair was blonder, the faint tint of brown completely gone. She wore a long, elegant white laced gown-a bit much for a pizza shack, but beautiful to say the least. Her makeup was airy and natural, but still apparent enough to be noticed. She looked rather nice, in the lighting. Shelby could take heed to her features more clearly, opposite to the dim lighting she had seen her in before.

Audrey was on her phone, but looked up immediately when she felt a presence.

"You're early." Shelby half smiled.

"I could say the same to you."

Shelby picked up the menu that was already lying on the table and looked it over.

Audrey examined Shelby quickly, once again. She had on tight fit jeans and an equally tight long sleeve, striped top-paired with a navy blazer. Her hair was tucked behind her ears and it was straightened this time. But, something was different about her, she looked…worn. She contemplated asking if she missed out on any sleep, but figured that wouldn't be the politest way to begin the night. So instead, she let her nosiness get the best of her and she focused on her hands. She wasn't wearing her wedding ring. Well, she guessed that could've been for obvious reasons. But she had the assumption that her and Matt were on the road to working things out. She tended to assume far too often.

After several minutes of glancing each other over, the silence became a familiar sense of awkward. _God, it's like she's so famous she's almost incapable of being normal,_ Shelby thought, noticing Audrey's odd behavior. She decided to break the silence.

"Are you uncomfortable?"

Audrey's eyes widened, "Not nearly? Am I giving that impression?"

"Mmm…only extremely."

Audrey nodded and looked over the menu for the first time.

"A plethora of pizza…" she said, more so to herself than Shelby.

"Yeah…it's a pizza restaurant."

"What do you usually order when you visit?"

Shelby untucked her hair from her ears only to tuck them back, "Well, I really like the Vegan's Choice-"

"I've heard enough." Audrey giggled, "You ruined my interest when you said vegan."

Shelby laughed, "Oh come on, that's everyone's first reaction, but I promise it's amazing. You can't even taste how organic it is."

"I didn't come to America to eat grass and wheat. I want real food, thank you."

"I'm glad you think we have better food than England." Shelby smirked.

"I never said that."

"But you did."

"But I didn't."

Shelby cleared her throat and brought her eyes back to her menu. She glanced at Audrey who had looked away as well, seemingly pleased that she had gotten the last word.

"….but you did."

Audrey slammed her hand on the table playfully, "Oh, don't be a child." Shelby was ignorant to the fact that Audrey could go on and on if the topic was America vs England. "I think I've found someone who likes to debate almost more than myself."

"I'm not debating, I was stating facts."

"Oh, really? Facts?"

"Facts." Shelby confirmed.

Before Audrey could respond, their waitress came to the table ready to take their orders. Despite Shelby's efforts to get her to try the vegan pizza along with her, Audrey settled on the typical pepperoni topping; which Shelby labeled as boring. They were truly opposite in every way. Shelby ordered water, Audrey ordered a Coke. Shelby only wanted one slice of pizza, whereas Audrey ordered three. Shelby kept her napkin folded on the table, and Audrey preferred hers in her lap. It was truly day and night, those two.

"It's quite…fluorescent in here." Audrey said slowly, trying to find the best fit word for their surroundings. Shelby took a sip of her water, looking up slightly at the ceiling lights.

"You know, in England we don't typically fancy these types of lights. Ours have a more…" Audrey pursed her lips and tipped her head to the side to look at the bulbs, "I don't know…yellowish tint? I suppose you could say…" she took a sip of her soda, making eye contact.

Shelby wasn't sure how to respond. How do you continue a conversation about lights without making it weird? You don't. That's how.

"So, you have a thing for lights?" Shelby asked, resting her head in her hands.

"…hm. Something like that." Audrey smiled lightly.

The waitress finally came back with their meal, luckily the restaurant was near closing hours, so they didn't have to wait long.

One of the best things about food is that there wasn't much time to speak, and looking at Audrey's plate, Shelby figured she was only interested in her meal at this point.

Shelby picked up her pizza then noticed Audrey unravel an already provided fork and knife from a napkin.

"You are not about to do what I think you're about to do…" she said stunned.

"What? I don't want to dirty my hands." Audrey began cutting her pizza into perfect squares. "They provide silverware for a reason, Shelby Miller."

Shelby cringed at the use of the last name Miller. She couldn't blame her, not many people knew that she had begun claiming her maiden name again. It was always strange, though, correcting people whenever they misspoke; so she decided to keep it to herself, not wanting to turn things down an awkward road.

"What a prim and proper lady you are, Audrey Tindall." She joked, taking a bite of her pizza.

"Oh hush, eat your grass."

As the minutes passed by, Shelby was contemplating how to approach Audrey to apologize. It had completely slipped her mind before. Maybe this was something she should've brought up earlier, was it strange to just blurt out "I'm sorry" while they devoured their food? Maybe Audrey didn't need a verbal apology, the kind gesture of inviting her out one last time was enough. Shelby's thoughts began to make her nervous until Audrey interrupted her.

"You're being weird." She said, resting her forearms on the table.

Shelby ignored her comment, largely because she knew exactly what Audrey was referring to. Whenever she became anxious it was painfully obvious.

"Isn't that bad etiquette?" She motioned towards her arms, attempting to change the subject.

Audrey half smiled, not breaking eye contact. "Elbows, dear. Elbows are incorrect etiquette." She eyed her for a few more seconds before letting her bold nature take over. She folded her arms and tilted her head to the side, "I do believe I was owed an apology this evening."

One thing about Audrey, she was good at reading people's emotions. Almost too good. Throughout the entire dinner, she could sense Shelby trying to beat around the bush with the purpose of their meeting. Audrey wasn't one to beat around the bush, instead, she _beat_ the bush…to death.

"I'm waiting, Shelby." She smirked.

Shelby stared at her pizza. Something about Audrey's presence made her feel so…small. She couldn't even look her in the eye without feeling like she was in an involuntary staring match. Eating pizza had never been so intense.

"My deepest apologies, Audrey. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me one day." Shelby said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Audrey reached her arm across the table to touch the other woman's hand, "Please, Shelby. You don't have to beg. I forgive you."

Shelby grimaced, "You are such a character." Despite how intimidating Audrey's presence was at times, she was funny when she wanted to be. Most importantly, she was happy that Audrey caught onto her sarcasm and reciprocated-still knowing the apology was sincere.

They went back to picking over their meals when Shelby felt a sudden sense of courage come over her. She was almost certain she was going to regret what she was about to do, but for the moment, her guilt was stronger than her senses.

"So…Audrey. I was thinking, and if the offer is still open…" She took one last breath, "I'd like to participate in the photo shoot…with you." Shelby internally smacked herself in the face as soon as the words left her mouth. _Why did I just do that?_

She waited for a response, watching Audrey's expressions closely.

"Shelby…don't think you're entitled to do this just because you want to ease your conscience…have you even thought this through?"

 _No._ "Absolutely." She assured her.

"Are you trying to prove a proud point?"

 _Yes._ "No." She shrugged.

Audrey eyed her for a few moments, "Very well then." She took a bite of her pizza, and sipped her drink.

"So…that's it…" Shelby asked, "You aren't the least bit interested in why I changed my mind?"

"I was afraid that if I asked you too many questions you'd change your decision." Audrey chuckled, "But if I had to guess… _besides_ the fact that you'd like to show me you aren't afraid to face the public, I think you also are very much interested in clearing your name."

Shelby nodded, not sure how to respond…damnit, she was a mind reader.

"I must say, if we're going to do this we must be proper." Audrey sat up, ready to execute her plan. "Fans aren't morons, Shelby. We can't suddenly appear on a magazine cover and not expect them to ask questions." She clasped her hands on the table, "So, for the next two months…I'm your new best friend."

"Why is this necessary again? Can't we just take the photo and leave?"

"The public loves a good friendship _._ Something to cling onto, if you will. We make them fall in love with us as their favorite _OTP_ and in return we sell twice as many copies as we would just being strangers."

Shelby sighed, "So basically, lying. We're lying to the public."

"I would say there are slight alterations of the truth being made, but to put it blankly, yes. We're lying." Audrey held her hand out, "So what do you say? Thicker than thieves?"

Shelby stared at her blankly, shaking her hand, "Thicker than thieves."

"Good, do you have any questions?" Audrey asked.

"Yes…what the _hell_ does that mean?"

xxxxxxxxxx

They'd both finished their pizza and Shelby paid for the meal, as promised. Upon exiting the restaurant, Audrey just so happened to look across the street and noticed that the Krispy Kreme hot sign was on, despite the heavy traffic and the fact that it was nearly 11 at night.

"Oh. My. GOD!" She shrieked, causing Shelby to jump.

"What? What's happened?"

Audrey turned around to face her, "The hot sign is on. We have to go." Shelby gave her a look of confusion, until she looked past her shoulder and realized Audrey had discovered the popular donut shop just a walk away.

"Jesus, Audrey. Don't do that. I thought a robber was out here or something."

Audrey laughed, "Oh don't be so jumpy. Come on, let's go." She dragged Shelby across the street, not waiting for an answer, and barely acknowledging the crosswalk signs.

When they reached the shop Audrey opened the door, allowing Shelby to go through first. Many Krispy Kreme's were open 24hrs in LA, so she wasn't shocked to see a handful of people sitting and chatting. When she walked in she noticed a few stares, but as soon as Audrey came through it was like the entire atmosphere changed. Audrey walked up to the counter and stared at the menu plastered on the wall. Shelby could see people taking photos out of the corner of her eye and she heard slight whispers of Audrey's name here and there. Even the cashier looked like she was trying to remain calm. Audrey, however, seemed completely oblivious to the attention. Even though it had to have been impossible for her not to notice. She leaned over to Shelby, still staring at the menu. "It's amazing how I order the same afters every time I'm here, yet I still insist on staring at their choices."

Shelby was confused, "… _afters?_ "

"Yes, afters." Audrey looked over at her, then realized, "Oh, my apologies. Afters is dessert."

"Why not just say dessert?"

Audrey shrugged, "Why not just say afters?" She turned back to look at the options provided.

Staring at the menu for a few more moments, Audrey decided to order the usual dozen glazed donuts. She extended the box to Shelby, "Would you like a taste?"

"Oh, no thank you. The pizza really filled me up."

Audrey opened the box and took a pastry for herself, leading Shelby out of the restaurant back across the street, every eye following them as they left.

They were stopped at the crosswalk watching cars drive by, waiting for it to be safe to pass.

Shelby could see her car in the parking lot from where they were standing, her eyes plastered forward trying to avoid eye contact.

"I greatly appreciate you coming to buy these with me," Audrey decided to break the silence, "In all truth, I dragged you over here because I hate walking streets alone at night."

Shelby chuckled, "So this wasn't the kick start off to our fake friendship?"

"Oh come on, within time, I think you might actually come to enjoy my company." Audrey smiled, finishing off her pastry with one last bite.

When they finally made it back to their initial destination, their cars were the only two in sight; and they just so happened to be parked only a few spaces apart.

They stood awkwardly for a moment between their vehicles, not sure how to properly depart.

Shelby took a breath, "Well…tonight was-"

She was cut off by Audrey squeezing her in a hug.

 _This is the most contact we've had since I've met her,_ Shelby thought.

"Thank you so much for doing the shoot, Shelby," Audrey whispered, still holding her tight, "You have no idea what you have just made possible for me."

Shelby smiled and brought her hand to Audrey's back, as much as Shelby was skeptical to do the shoot, she felt good about herself once seeing Audrey's appreciation.

"You smell really nice." She mumbled.

Audrey giggled, pulling away, "You do as well, I didn't want to say anything."

Shelby blushed from embarrassment, "So I definitely probably shouldn't have said anything."

"No, no. I'm more than happy you said something."

They sat in silence, until Shelby noticed the time.

"Well, I guess I should head home." She motioned towards her car.

Audrey half smiled and nodded, turning to go to her own vehicle, "Drive safe." She said with a wink.

When Shelby was in her car, she drove off quickly, almost to escape her recent encounter. She ran into a red light, where she gathered some of her thoughts.

Photo shoots, arranged friendships, awkward conversations-Audrey Tindall was definitely going to be a force to be reckoned with for the next few months.

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 **A/N: Sorry this chapter is so long, also sorry it's taking forever to develop. I like build, okay. Hope you enjoy! I do accept prompts.**


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